Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Also called: Agriculture Laborer · Apple Sorter · Corn Lab Technician · Distribution Technician · Egg Grader · Egg Worker
Median pay (national)
$35,430
$30,490–$43,280 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
26,870
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-5.4%
~5,100 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for graders and sorters, agricultural products shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $43,280 versus $30,490 at the bottom 10% — 1.4x. The median of $35,430 leaves roughly 22% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -5.4% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 5,100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 35 states with released data, North Dakota pays the most for this role (median $46,290, +31% vs the national median), while Idaho sits lowest at $27,620 — a 68% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
- Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
- Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
- Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
- Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Food Production
- Education and Training
- Foreign Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management